Scientific Advisory Board

Martin Adler, PhD

Temple University

Martin Adler received his MS in Pharmacology from Columbia University and his PhD in Pharmacology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He began his career at Temple University School of Medicine in 1960 as an Instructor in Pharmacology and was promoted to Professor in 1973. In 1998, he founded the Center for Substance Abuse Research at Temple and he continues to serve as its Director. Dr. Adler was honored with the Temple University Faculty Research Award in 1996, with the Nathan B. Eddy Memorial Award from the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) for research in the field of drug abuse in 1997, and the Joseph Wybran Award from the Society for NeuroImmune Pharmacology for Promotion of New Ideas in Science in 2001.

Dr. Adler is the Principal Investigator on grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and received a MERIT Award in 1992. He has over 200 research publications. He has served as Chair of numerous review committees at NIH, including the Biomedical Research Review Committee of NIDA, the Centers Grant Committee of NIDA, and the Integrative, Functional, and Cognitive Neuroscience Committee of NIH. A Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and CPDD, he has been Executive Officer of CPDD since 1986. He is actively involved in efforts of NIDA and CPDD to foster international cooperation in research in the area of drug abuse.

Bruce Ames, PhD

Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute

Bruce Ames is a Professor of the Graduate School in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, and a Senior Scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and he was on their Commission on Life Sciences. He was a member of the board of directors of the National Cancer Institute, the National Cancer Advisory Board, from 1976 to 1982. He was the recipient of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation Prize (1983), the Tyler Environmental Prize (1985), the Gold Medal Award of the American Institute of Chemists (1991), the Glenn Foundation Award of the Gerontological Society of America (1992), the Lovelace Institutes Award for Excellence in Environmental Health Research (1995), the Honda Prize of the Honda Foundation, Japan (1996), the Japan Prize, (1997), the Kehoe Award, American College of Occup. and Environ. Med. (1997), the Medal of the City of Paris (1998), the U.S. National Medal of Science (1998), the Linus Pauling Institute Prize for Health Research (2001), the American Society for Microbiology Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), and the Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal from the Genetics Society of American (2004). (2008) American Society for Nutrition/CRN M.S. Rose Award, and the George C. Marshall Institute Founders Award. His 530+ publications have resulted in his being among the few hundred most-cited scientists (in all fields).

Gregory Bell, MD

KAI Pharmaceuticals

Gregory Bell earned his medical degree from Cornell University Medical College and completed his training in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Brown University and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), respectively. Dr. Bell was a member of the UCSF Department of Medicine from 1991 through 1996 and his research focused on basic mechanisms of lymphocyte activation. In 1996, Dr. Bell joined Merck Research Laboratories and later became the National Arthritis Medical Director in the Medical and Scientific Affairs department of the U.S. Human Health Division of Merck & Co., Inc. In 2000, Dr. Bell joined Abgenix, Inc. where he served as Vice President of Clinical Development and Clinical Operations before joining KAI Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Bell is currently the Senior Vice President of Development and Chief Medical Officer at KAI Pharmaceuticals and is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at UCSF. Dr. Bell is board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. During his career, Dr. Bell has been involved in the development of several marketed products including Arcoxia®, Cancidas®, and Vectibix®.

Leslie Z. Benet, PhD

University of California, San Francisco

Leslie Benet is a professor and former Chairman (1978-1998) of the Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, UCSF, and a founder of AvMax, Inc. and OxoN Medica, Inc. He received his AB (English), BS (Pharmacy), M.S. from the University of Michigan and his PhD from the UCSF. He co-developed the Biopharmaceutics Drug Disposition Classification System. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

In 1985, Dr. Benet served as President of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He was the founding President of the AAPS. Dr. Benet is a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the former Chair of the Pharmacology Study Section and the Pharmacological Sciences Review Committee for the NIH, the FDA Center for Biologics Peer Review Committee, the FDA Expert Panel on Individual Bioequivalence, the Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the FIP, the Organizing Committee for the Millennial World Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Congressionally mandated IOM/NRC Committee on Accelerating the Research, Development and Acquisition of Medical Countermeasures Against Biological Warfare Agents and as a member of the FDA Science Board and the Generic Drugs Advisory Committee. He presently serves as a member of the IOM Forum on Drug Discovery, Development and Translation, the FDA 100th Anniversary State of Science Review Committee and the Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education.

Ivan Lieberburg, MD, PhD

Tavistock Group

Ivan Lieberburg is currently a member of the Tavistock Group, a private equity firm, where he concentrates on health care and life sciences opportunities. Prior to joining Tavistock in 2009, Dr. Lieberburg was employed at Elan, plc, for 22 years, where his most recent role was Executive Vice President, Corporate Office of Technology and Chief Medical Officer. Other senior positions at Elan that he held included Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Research. Dr. Lieberburg has been involved in the basic research, development and/or post-marketing medical studies of a number of Elan's products, including Zanaflex®, Diastat®, Mysoline®, Zonegran®, Myobloc®, Permax®, Skelaxin®, Tysabri®, Myocet®, Abelcet®, Prialt®, Maxipime®, Azactam®, as well as numerous preclinical and development programs, including Elan's Alzheimer's immunotherapy program currently in Phase 3 clinical trials.

Prior to joining Élan (formerly Athena Neurosciences, Inc.) in 1987, Dr. Lieberburg held faculty positions at Albert Einstein School of Medicine and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Lieberburg received an A.B. in Biology from Cornell University (1971), a PhD in Neurobiology from The Rockefeller University (1976) and a MD from the University of Miami School of Medicine (1980). He performed his postdoctoral research at The Rockefeller University (1976-1978) and his medical residency and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco (1980-1984), where he is presently a Clinical Professor of Medicine and attends on the in-patient medical service. He is board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology/metabolism.

Ronald Ruby, MD, FACE

Pacific Coast Family Medical Group

Ronald Ruby is a clinical endocrinologist actively practicing in Manhattan Beach, California. Dr. Ruby earned his medical degree from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School graduate, completed his post-graduate studies at the Baltimore City Hospitals, and served as Chief Medical Resident and fellow at the Johns Hopkins Medical School. Dr. Ruby’s endocrinology training was completed at Harbor UCLA where he was a clinical fellow and focused on research related to the Na+/K+ ATPase system in diabetes, thyroid disease and obesity. Dr. Ruby is board certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology/Metabolism. He is also a charter member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology.

Dr. Ruby has served as a Board of Director and Medical Director for the South Bay Independent Physicians Medical Group and the Chief of Staff at South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach. Current clinical research involves the use of an IV Glucose Sensor in cardiac bypass patients. Dr. Ruby has research interests in atherosclerosis and osteoporosis and serves as a national speaker on osteoporosis.

Ron Swerdloff, MD, FACP

University of California, Los Angeles

Ronald S. Swerdloff is Professor of Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Associate Chair Department of Medicine and Chief of Endocrinology at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Swerdloff received a bachelor degree from UC Berkeley and medical degree from University of California, San Francisco, Internal Medicine and Endocrinology training at the University of Washington, UCLA and NIH. Dr. Swerdloff is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes.

Dr. Swerdloff is a widely-renowned investigator with over 450 peer reviewed manuscripts, chapters, reviews and scientific books, served as officer and president of national medical societies and is the recipient of many Distinguished Scientist and Educator awards. He is the recipient of the Sherman Mellinkoff Award from UCLA, the highest honor given to a single faculty member by the Medical School. Dr. Swerdloff is a past editor of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, past Director of NIH and Mellon Foundation Population Research Centers and current Director of the NIH-funded Contraceptive Clinical Trials Center and WHO Population Center. Dr. Swerdloff has been repeatedly selected by his peers as one of the “Best Doctors in America”.

Dr. Swerdloff has played a significant role in the development of new pharmaceutical drugs and serves on advisory committees for established and emerging pharmaceutical companies as well as those of the NIH, World Health Organization and the United Nations.